I'm John Batchel with my colleague, Professor Avan Ellis of the U.S. Army War College,

Colombia, a troubled land that is not only struggling with the president who is on again, off again,

I'm being diplomatic, but also the remains of the questions who and why an attempted assassination of a young senator,

39 years old named Oribay, who was seen as a bright hope for the presidential contest in

Colombia in 26, now out of surgery but critical, according to the Reuters report. He was shot in the brain,

in the head. The recovery would be miraculous and not in any fashion, a calendar that makes him a political

actor again. But as of now, Professor, is there any indication of why a 15 or 16 year old

with a pistol would be hired or sent to shoot a man in the head during a political event? Do we have a

clue as to where the investigation is going?

Well, it's a great question, John.

And as you point out, you know, it's more speculation than hard evidence of who would have wanted to do this.

Of the two people who have been charged, my understanding is that one of the key figures

was actually found

in territory that's affiliated with the control by the FARC dissidents. And so, you know,

some speculation that it could have been tied to the left. Again, it's probably less about

Riebe, who was not one of the most significant candidates and was not one of the most polarizing.

Indeed, he was really on the center right.

But part of the speculation is that those with an interest in destabilizing Colombian democracy,

as arguably happened also in the 2019-2020 period as well, could have been behind this,

trying to essentially go after the consensus candidates to force a polarization and force

a debate to the right or the left. But at this point, the investigation goes on. But what you

also point out to John is that the Oribe assassination really is also symbolic of just the difficulties

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